Middelhoff Out At Bertelsmann
from the surprise-surprise dept
It’s really not a huge surprise to see Bertelsmann kick out CEO Thomas Middelhoff. However, that doesn’t mean it’s a smart move. Middelhoff has impressed me over the past few years with his vision for the company that clearly saw that any media business is facing a number of huge challenges over the next few years. Unlike the heads of the other major media companies, Middelhoff really wanted Bertelsmann to embrace the possibilities of the future, instead of pointlessly trying to hold it back. Not that he was perfect in his vision, but I got the sense that he had a much better grasp on things than many of his counterparts. It was clear that some of Bertelsmann’s struggles came from internal dissent of managers who didn’t fully grasp Middelhoff’s vision. His biggest failing, then, may have been not being to communicate the vision to Bertelsmann itself. Update: Interestingly, Middelhoff is now rumored to be considering a job at AOL.
